It’s not always easy to be a caregiver for seniors, and when you’re juggling multiple medications for your loved ones, it can be even more challenging. But as a caregiver, it’s your job to make sure that your loved ones are getting the right medications. But what if they’re not? Medication errors are one of the leading causes of death in hospitals today, so it’s important to know how to prevent them from happening. In this post, we’ll look at some tips that can help avoid mistakes of medication as well as a few things to consider before taking on this role.
Prevent Cross-Medication
Cross-medication is another common mistake when a caregiver is responsible for multiple patients. This happens when you accidentally give your loved one the wrong medication or dose because you’ve mixed up their prescriptions or if they have two different prescriptions for the same condition.
It’s important to keep track of each patient’s medications and ensure that everything runs smoothly between their prescriptions.
To prevent this from happening, make sure that each bottle has its distinct color and label. Also, please keep your loved one’s medications in one place so that you don’t have to hunt down individual bottles when it’s time for them to take their pills.
Keep A Medication Journal
Keeping a medication journal is a great way to keep track of when your loved one takes their medications and what they are taking. This will help you know if they are missing doses, taking too much or too little of a medication, or even if there is something wrong with how the pills look or smell.
A good place to start is by getting an organizer specifically designed for this purpose (such as the Medic Alert Medication Organizer). Then write down each name and dosage on the appropriate lines with each day’s date next to them for easy reference later.
Use The Same Pill Box Or Pill Dispenser
When caring for a loved one, it can be easy to get confused about what medications they need and when. Use the same pill box or dispenser for all medications to avoid confusion and prevent medication mistakes. That way, you’ll always know which pills belong in that container.
If your loved one has more than one prescription drug being taken at once, make sure that those medications are kept separate so there’s no chance of taking them out of order or mixing up which ones should go into the same dispenser.
Follow Instructions To The Letter
Make sure to follow the instructions for their medication in the letter. This is true when it comes to oral medications. For example, if they have been prescribed a pill and told not to eat anything for an hour before or after taking it, then you should ensure that they do not eat anything during this time period. If any other special instructions are included with their prescription (like “take 1 hour before bedtime”), ensure that these are followed as well as possible.
